The Ultimate Video and Image Content Hacking Battle Plan
Image and video marketing has never been more important. Video marketing is known to increase revenue by 49%. Imagine if you started getting 50% more sales in your business. What would you do with that increase? Would you expand your business even more? Outsource so you could focus on the tasks you find most enjoyable? Take time off to travel?
If you think about video marketing and instantly feel overwhelmed, it’s understandable. Videos can be a more complex form of advertising. But the good news is that videos can be created quickly and easily once you know what to do.
Developing Your Image and Video Marketing Strategy
Focusing on image and video marketing in your business shouldn’t be done lightly. Like all business endeavors, it helps to have a plan. When you have a solid plan in place, you’ll feel more confident and find it easier to create videos. Here are a few questions that can help you create your own strategy…
Who Is Your Audience?
If you’ve been in business for a while, then you may already know who your ideal buyer is. But if your brand is new and you’re just starting out, you may not know who your product is for just yet. You need to get clarity on your ideal customer before you start video marketing. Otherwise, you risk wasting both time and money trying to appeal to the wrong audience.
Keep in mind that it’s easy to think the user of your product is also the buyer. But this isn’t always true. If you sell baby clothes, you won’t market to infants. You’ll market to their parents instead. If you sell premium software to other businesses, you won’t market to the end user. You’ll market it to the six-figure executive who makes the final purchasing decision.
How Will You Align Your Videos with Your Brand?
When it comes to video marketing, you have to consider your brand. Your videos will represent your business to your viewers and you want to make sure the tone and style match your brand.
Funny, playful videos are appropriate if you’re selling children’s toys. It would look silly if a company like Playskool released serious, somber videos. They would be going against their own brand and confusing their customers.
But it’s not just your tone that matters. It’s also important that yourcolors, lighting, and content fit with your brand. If you sell products designed for women’s health issues, then you’d probably use pink or purple in your branding and videos. If your products are designed for men’s health, you might use blue or red. You’d also use elements that communicate masculinity like chrome or steel.
What Are Your Competitors Doing?
It’s easy to create in a bubble without realizing it. But studying what your competitors are doing can expose you to more ideas and give you insight into what your audience actually wants. For example, if your competitors are creating videos that are longer than five minutes, it might be a sign that consumers in your niche want in-depth content.
While looking at competitor’s videos can be a source of inspiration, don’t try to copy them. Your customers love your brand because it’s unique. You bring something valuable to the table that your competitors don’t. If anything, you should use this to your advantage and announce your unique selling point proudly.
How Does This Video Fit into Your Larger Funnel?
Before you create a video, you should always consider how it fits into your sales funnel. A video that’s targeted to convince visitors to join your sales funnel is going to be different than a video you design for your premium customers.
The first video would be focused on raising brand awareness. The second video doesn’t need to build brand awareness. These people are already customers and have different content needs.
What Is Your Goal for the Video?
This is an important question to ask when you’re creating a video. Consider what you want your visitors to do after watching your video. Do you want them to subscribe to your mailing list? Buy your brand-new info product? Hire you to design a website?
Remember that your goal needs to be clear. You don’t want to create a video with several different purposes like raising brand awareness, selling your product, and growing your social media platform. With all of those goals in the same video, you’re likely to overwhelm your viewers. Instead, pick one goal per video and focus on that.
Asking smart questions before you get started with video marketing can save you hours of time and a lot of frustration. By planning your strategy in advance, your video marketing is more likely to succeed.
How to Create Images &Videos without a Huge Budget
Years ago, only major brands or million-dollar corporations could afford to create video or high-quality images. But technology has advanced since then and now small businesses and solopreneurs can easily create their own images and videos. Even better, many of these tools don’t require a billion-dollar budget. In fact, you can make beautiful, professional graphics and videos for less than $100 a month. Here are a few sites that can help you…
Lumen5
Lumen5 makes it easy to take your content marketing and turn it into a video. You paste the URL of your recent blog post into the text box. The software will read your blog post and capture the important points.
Next, you simply add images or videos behind the text. Then add a call-to-action on your last slide. When you’re done, save your video and upload it to your favorite social media platforms.
Pixlr Editor
Pixlr Editor is a free online photo editor. It’s similar to PhotoShop but with fewer features. You can use it to create images with layers. If you want, you can save your files in an editable Pixlr format known as PXDs.
You can also use the Pixlr Editor to open PSD files. You can lightly edit these files, although the text function can be tricky when you have PSD files open. Still, it’s a great way to edit or create graphics if you need a quick tool.
Animoto
Animoto is another video tool that’s simple to use. With it, you create a storyboard. You can add pictures, video clips, and other graphics to your storyboard. You can alsoinclude music with your videos. The company has licensed thousands of songs and music clips that you can legally use if you want.
The drag-and-drop templates make it easy to re-arrange and edit your video. Some brands have used Animoto to create service teasers, social media ads, and product testimonials.
Canva
Canva lets you create beautiful graphics that look like they were made by a professional. Their interface is drag-and-drop, so it’s easy to get the look you want. You simply move the different elements (like pictures, text, or doodles) to where you want them.
Even better, Canva has a team function. This allows you to work with others and collaborate during the creation phase. You’ll also have access to hundreds of images and templates that you can use. Some of the elements are free and others are premium. But these premium elements only cost $1-3 dollars.
Animatron
Animatron is video creation software that’s actually two separate services. The first service is Wave.Video. It’s designed to help you make social media videos. There are millions of video clips you can use. You simply add your own text and resize the video based on which platform your video will be published to. Wave is ideal for marketers and agencies.
Animatron’s other product is Studio. Studio lets you create HTML5 and video animations. These videos are meant to be used for presentations, product demos, social media advertisements, and more. Studio is ideal for small businesses and marketing agencies.
Adobe Spark
Adobe Sparkis a suite of graphic design and video apps. It has both an online version of the software and an app for the iPhone, so you can easily edit pictures even when you’re on the go.
An advantage of using Spark is that you can store all of your brand’s colors, fonts, logos, and more in a ‘theme’. This makes it easy for you to add your branding to the photos and videos you create in Adobe Spark.
Write Your Own Video Scripts with These Tips
When it comes to video marketing, you may be tempted to just wing it. You might feel like you’re being authentic and going with the flow. But you’ve probably seen more than one video where the person on camera rambles without ever getting to the point. Worse, their speech is peppered with um or so or like and other filler words.
Creating a video script is about making sure your audience can understand and digest your message. If you’ve never written a video script, you might be nervous, but following these tips can help you write a stellar script…
Know the Goal
First, get clear on why you’re creating this video. What’s your point? Is it to share educational tips on how to accomplish a task like how to paint your kitchen? Is the goal to show viewers how to correct a mistake like uneven paint application?
Determine the CTA
When you know the goal, it’s easier to create your script, but don’t stop there. Before you write a word, you need to know what the CTA will be. Are you going to ask viewers to follow you on Instagram? Will you invite them onto your email list with the promise of a special opt-in gift?
Create an Outline
Now, it’s time to create an outline. You don’t have to write the script all at once. Just having an outline to start with can be helpful. Use bullet points if you like. You can think of these outlines like you would subheadings in a short report or blog post.
Be Concise
Once you have an outline, it’s time to get writing. Keep in mind that you don’t need long paragraphs—they can make it easy for viewers to lose track of your point. In fact, try to keep your sentences short if possible. This keeps viewer interest and makes your message memorable.
Add Notes
As you work on your script, think of it like a movie in your mind. You’re the director here, so it’s your job to share your vision. Your script might look like this:
The most common painting mistake is using the wrong brush.
{flash to picture of streakedwalls}
When you edit the video later, you’ll know exactly where to insert that stock image.
Read It Out Loud
Once you have a script and you’re happy with it, try reading it out loud. Keep a pen nearby and don’t be afraid to cut words or add them where necessary. Remember, your goal is to communicate with your audience clearly.
Where to Post Your Videos
It’s not enough to simply create an amazing video. You always need to market and promote it, too. Remember, content doesn’t go viral by itself. You have to promote it. If you don’t know where to post your videos, try following a few of these tips…
YouTube
YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world. That means the first place you should post new video content is on YouTube. Be sure to use keywords in your video title, description, and tags section.
Facebook makes it easy to share video. You can upload it through a page, and then share it with your friends through your personal profile. Then post the video inside your favorite groups, provided the topic is relevant.
For example, if you record a video on puppy training, don’t share it with your 80’s rock music group. They won’t appreciate it and you’ll be viewed as a spammer.
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing site where you can upload your videos in High Definition. The site isn’t supported by advertisements, so you don’t have to worry about ads getting in the way of the video.
Google Plus
Google Plus is Google’s social network. Although there’s not a lot of traffic or conversation on the site, you still want to share your video here. The reason you want to do that is content on Google Plus gets indexed in search engines much faster than videos posted to other social networks.
Pinterest isn’t just for pinning pretty pictures. You can also pin your videos to Pinterest, which makes it easy for your content to be shared for weeks and months to come as new followers continue to discover your content.
LinkedIn now supports native video, which means you can upload your video directly into the social network. However, they do have a time-limit. Videos on LinkedIn must be under ten minutes in length.
Many Twitter users love watching video and you can easily upload your latest creation to the social media website. But keep in mind that video on Twitter must be no longer than 2 minutes and 20 seconds. If your video is longer than that, consider editing a special version just for Twitter.
Your Email List
Don’t forget to share your new video with your email subscribers. Take a screenshot of your video player and embed the image into your emails. Link the image to a landing page with the video so that when your subscribers click on the player, they’ll be redirected to that page.
Your Blog
Another place where you can share your video is on your blog. But don’t just paste the video code into your WordPress post. Search engines don’t understand what videos are about so your post isn’t likely to be found on Google if you only post the video.
Instead, add a few paragraphs to your blog post. Explain what your video is about and why this topic matters. This will help your new video be indexed in search engines like Google.
Using Images to Create Videos
If you don’t have any video clips to use, don’t despair. You can still create beautiful, professional videos even if you only have a few high-quality images. Here’s how to get started…
Choose Your Photos
Pick photos that align with your brand both in terms of coloring and content. A business that sells painting supplies would look silly if they created a video with puppy training images. If you don’t know where to get photos, you can buy stock photos from websites like Deposit Photos and iStock.
Edit Photos (If Necessary)
Sometimes, you may find great photos that just need minor changes. For example, a stock photo of a woman painting may need to be cropped so it’s easier for the viewer’s eye to focus on the room she’s in.
You can edit your photos in a program like Adobe PhotoShop. If you don’t have access to Adobe Photoshop, then you can use Pixlr’s Editor or Photopea. While editing, resize your images so they’re all the same dimensions. This will make it easier to put your video together.
Currently, YouTube video dimensions are 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels. If you’re not sure what dimensions to use, look online for the name of the social network where you plan to publish your video. Try a search like this: “Facebook + video dimensions” without quotation marks.
Import Your Photos
Next, import your photos into the video software you’ll be using. If you’re using large image files, then it may take a few moments for your pictures to upload, so be patient.
Add Effects and Transitions
To create the illusion of movement within your photos, you’ll want to add special effects. Pan and scan can give the viewer a feeling that your photos are in motion, even if they aren’t.
Along with effects, you’ll also want to add transitions. The transition effect moves your video from one image to the next. But the effect does more than just change the image—it also serves to keep your viewers’ attention focused on the screen.
Include Music
It’s not enough to just have pictures and effects. You also want to include music in your videos. Some video programs come with free music you can use in your videos. You can also look online for royalty-free music. One excellent source of inexpensive music is Incompetech.
Keep in mind that your music selection should match the theme of your video. If your video is about a serious topic and your music is bouncy, it will confuse viewers and may even make them stop watching.
Don’t Forget to Save
Once you’re done with your video, don’t forget to save it! Some video programs don’t use the word ‘save’. Instead, they use a word like ‘export’ or ‘download’. If possible, try to save a copy of the finished video and the editable version.
The editable version will come in handy if you notice an error or typo later. Otherwise, you’ll have to re-create your video from the ground up just to fix one tiny mistake.
Types of Videos You Can Create
When it comes to creating video content, it’s important to understand that there are several different types of videos you can create. Every video can be defined by one of these broad categories…
Sales Videos
The goal of a sales video is to sell the viewer something. You’ve seen sales videos if you’ve ever watched a launch announcement, new product reveal, unboxing, testimonial, or product review.
Sales videos are the most common type of video. But they can also be the hardest to create. That’s because you have to identify what problem your product or service is solving for your customer. Then you have to explain why your solution is the best one and persuade viewers to buy it.
Educational Videos
The goal of an educational video is to teach the viewer how todo something. Examples of educational videos include demos, tutorials, and walk-throughs. But just because a video is educational doesn’t mean it can’t result in sales.
A paint company could create a video tutorial on how to prepare a room for painting. They could recommend applying primer and mention that they have a top-notch primer available wherever paint supplies are sold. This can lead to plenty of new sales while still providing the customer with lots of value.
Informational Videos
The goal of an informational video is to tell you something. It’s a good way to get visitors to enter your sales funnel. You provide helpful or interesting information for your potential clients.
At the end of your video, you can invite your visitor to sign up for a free gift from you. This free gift might be a short report, a 7-day trial of your new software, a free workbook, or another digital item.
Event Videos
The goal of an event video is show something that’s happening. Common forms of event videos include conferences, webinars, summits, and live streams. These videos may showcase an event or may provide a behind-the-scenes peekto make viewers curious.
With an event video, you want to make sure your audience will actually care about what’s happening. Your puppy graduating from obedience school might be cute. But if you sell office supplies, your audience won’t be interested in that content.
However, if you run a pet blog all about caring for dogs, your audience would probably enjoy the obedience school graduation. They’re already invested in the content and can’t wait to watch the event unfold.
Keep in mind that you should include a mix of different video types in your marketing plan. Before creating your next video, consider where your potential customer is the sales funnel and which video type would serve him or her best.
How to Edit and Create Memes for Social Media
Memes are amusing images shared on social media. They can be a great way to communicate with your audience, especially if the tone of your brand is playful or funny.
Usually, memes are amusing photos with a snarky caption. For example, there’s the popular “first world” meme which shows a woman crying. Amusing captions like “Starbucks barista misspelled my name” or “I’m hungry but I already brushed my teeth”.
Another popular meme is called “One Does Not Simply”. You may have seen this with captions like “One does not simply walk into Mordor” or “One does not simply eat just one Lay’s potato chip”.
One company that successfully uses memes on social media is BarkBox. If you’re not familiar with the company, they create special doggy treat boxes that are mailed to their customers each month. Since their customers are pet-parents, BarkBox frequently posts animal memes on Facebook.
SmileTrain is another brand that chose to promote their brand with memes. As a charity organization, SmileTrain wanted to grow their brand awareness without posting disturbing images of children in need of surgery.
So, they opted to use the #SeriousBaby meme. Their risk paid off because thousands of fans and followers have now shared their content. They’re experiencing more growth because they chose to tackle a serious issue with humor and warmth,
Now that you understand how brands can benefit from posting memes, you may feel ready to try it. The good news is you don’t have to create your own memes from scratch.
You can use meme generators to help you create funny and relatable images that you can share on social media. Two popular websites for memes are Meme Generator by Imgflip and Make a Meme.
How to Measure the Success of Your Images and Videos
When it comes to content marketing, it’s smart to create content that connects with your audience and sells your products. But it’s not enough. You also need to be monitoring that content and mining for insights that can help you refine your marketing even more.
If you don’t already, you should have Google Analytics installed on your website. You can use this tool to see which social media networks are sending you the most traffic. Don’t make assumptions here—you might be surprised to see which social media sites your customers prefer.
You should also use the statistics tools that your social media sites will provide you. For example, Facebook page owners can find ‘Insights’ that show how many users visit their page, how much engagement each post receives and other helpful data.
Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram also have statistics available. But in order to access these statistics, you may need to change your account to a business account. Besides keeping with the terms of service, this will also allow you to access extra features like advertisements, polls, and more.
As you review your data each month, it can be helpful to ask yourself a few questions:
- How long did viewers watch your videos?
- What time of day did they watch?
- What is the average age of your users?
- What social network are your users most active on?
- Where are your fans located?
- What website referred your followers to your video or images?
- How did they engage with your video or image content (e.g. like, retweet, or repin)?
Digging deep into these questions can allow you to tweak your marketing so you can ensure you’re hitting your demographic. For example, if you think millennials are your ideal product buyers, you might discover that your marketing is attracting men in their 50s.
This means you either need to change up your marketing messages or if you’re happy with that demographic, you may need to alter your product to match that audience.
Also, keep in mind what time of day your followers are most active. For example, if you know most of your fans are located in Europe and active around 4pm, you can schedule future posts in the late afternoons. This will increase the effectiveness of your marketing since you know when your fans are likely to be online.
Image and video marketing don’t have to be difficult. They’re simple and easy activities that can boost your bottom line. So, take some time to map out a strategy and get to work. Then have fun with it…experiment and try new things. You never know what you might discover about your audience!
The Ultimate Video and Image Content Hacking Resource List
Creating images and videos for your marketing strategy doesn’t have to take weeks or months. With the right software, you can get the job done in just a few hours. Here are a few of the best apps and tools to consider using…
Video Creation Tools
Photo & Image Editing Apps
Where to Outsource Images & Video
